[Sorry, late chapter. I couldn't find the right words to describe what Rinoa was thinking during one of the paragraphs so I finally gave up. Anywhoo, it's okay Lionheart! Lol, yeah, those fights in the game leave much to the imagination. Though I don't think I have that quite of the imagination to do the battles right…as the battle in this chapter will very closely show…! Eeek, enjoy nevertheless.]
Finally arriving back in Timber, Rinoa, Squall, Zell, and Watts exited the train, and Rinoa turned to say goodbye to Watts before they left. "You…be careful, ok?" Rinoa said a bit worriedly.
"Ah, don't worry about me! You're the one we should be worrying about. Lots of guards are patrolling the city now! Please be careful, sir! Seems like the hotel's not available, either! Should you need to recover, use the Owl's Tear, sir! Heard it works wonders!" Watts passed the item to Squall.
Zone appeared at the door now. "WaaaaaaTTTS! C'MON! The Galbadian soldiers are comin'!!!" The locomotive began leaving the station, but Watts stood their talking to them, not noticing at all as the train abandoned him. "I guess you won't be needing it anyway. You're all SeeD's, well, except for Rinoa. You'll be fine, right, sir!?"
Rinoa opened her mouth, but finding no words to convey the situation, both funny yet serious at the same time, Rinoa merely pointed at the far away train, Zone still at the door yelling at him, and Selphie was now seen by his side, waving at them. "Hey...!!!? Don't leave me, sirrrr!" Watts cried, and chased after the faraway train.
Rinoa giggled, and waved at his fleeing back. I hope you catch the train, Watts. Turning back to face Squall and Zell, they started walking around Timber for an entryway to the TV Station.
"Hey, what is with that guy?" Zell asked as they walked. "And Zone said he was the leader. I thought you were."
Rinoa shook her head, and she blinked away the hair that got into her eyes from doing so. She cast her eyes at the people who stood in the streets as they walked, looking for anyone suspicious. "Their father's founded the Forest Owls a long time ago, before Timber was even in the mess it's in now. But…after Galbadia took over Timber…they were hunted down and executed for fighting against the Galbadian Army, along with other resistance members."
Rinoa talked in a low voice in case anybody was to eavesdrop, and Rinoa paused for a moment of silence as her pay in respects to the fallen people who gave their lives for the city. She hoped, along with Zone and Watts, to finally make their dreams come true. "Zone and Watts tried to…no, are, continuing their fathers' work, even though they are lacking the bravado their fathers had."
She smiled. Zone and Watts were like her big brothers. "Still, I think they're doing a pretty good job considering. They may seem a bit odd, but that's what I sorta like about them. They're not afraid to be bizarre, you know?" Though I'm sure you two would think otherwise.
As they passed the hotel, Rinoa grabbed Squall's hand to stop them from moving on. "Hey, hold on a sec. I'm gonna go inside, see if they know the way to the station." The two SeeD's looked at each other, and followed wordlessly. It beat wondering the town for hours looking for it.
Upon entering the lavish hotel, the attendant at the front counter made a sour face. The way to the dinning hall was shut down, and a couple people still stood in the front room, desperately trying to get a room.
"We don't have any more rooms! We're closed!" The man yelled at them, and Rinoa narrowed her eyes at him, walking up to the desk. She laid her arms atop it and cocked her head to the side. "Don't have a chocobo. We're not here for one of your silly, expensive rooms," Rinoa said, and smiled at the look she was granted by doing so. "We're just wondering if you know they way to the TV Station?"
Straightening out the front of his suit of invisible creases and wrinkles, and man replied, though you could easily tell his dignity was hurt. "Look for the pub. Make your way to the back. There should be an ally that connects to it."
Rinoa winked at the man apologetically. "Thanks a lot!" She exclaimed, and walked back to her waiting SeeDs, and they went out onto Timber's streets once again. "They said we have to look for the pub. I'm pretty sure it's near the train station, and that's over this way." Rinoa nodded her head to its general direction, and they were off again.
"Um…" Squall said after a while. Rinoa looked at him curiously. "When exactly do you plan on informing us of this plan of yours?"
Rinoa clapped her hands together. Oh, right. I haven't done that yet. Well, now's a good time as any. "It's nothing extremely complicated like that train operation we had back there. I just figured we'd rush the place before they can say their announcement." Rinoa didn't find the need to also tell them that she planned on making an announcement of her own.
Squall didn't seem too dazzled, yet again, but didn't fight it. They soon reached the part of the city were the pub was located, and Rinoa pointed it out from the place on the stairs that descended towards it. It was outside the pub that they noticed two Galbadian soldiers.
"Heh heh...for a country bumpkin he sure had some good stuff," the first soldier said.
"Yo, better ease off a little. These Timber hicks hate us enough as it is," the said replied.
"Maybe we should play it cool?" Rinoa offered as they made their way down the steps and towards the officers. The said officers had stopped their conversation upon sight of the trio, and the first soldier pointed at them.
"Let's get 'em!" He had yelled, and they rushed at them.
Rinoa eyes widened as one came at her, thinking it'd be easier to dispose of the girl first. Not having a ton of fighting experience under her belt, and being completely petrified, it seemed a flawless plan. Rinoa hesitantly raised her right arm, which garnished her Blaster Edge, and slowly pulled back the boomerang device that was to be projected out.
If Zell had not pulled the man away from her in due timing, Rinoa would have been too late in releasing it, and she knew it. She could feel her hands shaking. She was not used to this…how could you ever be, striping someone of their lives? But Zell, and Squall…they seemed to defy that belief. They went about it as if it was a normal bodily function, like taking in air. The soldier still tried to point his gun at Rinoa though Zell tried to change is line of target. A shot rang out though, and Rinoa screamed and fell down to her knees, grabbing onto her head.
Feeling no immediate pain, Rinoa looked up to see that Zell was able to deter the shot for the gun was pointed up. "I guess no one ever taught you not to fire at ladies, huh!?" Zell asked angrily, elbowing the man in the head. The guy flipped his gun and whacked Zell with the butt of it, getting Zell even more enraged. Tearing her eyes away from the fury of Zell's punches and kicks, Rinoa saw Squall on the other side, fighting the second one. He had just taken a harsh beating, and Rinoa found her chance to be of some use.
Aiming purposely to have a missed target, Rinoa unleashed the boomerang, and it flew through the air and whipped right in front of the guard, narrowing missing having his nose chopping off his face. Squall took a step back, he being just as caught off guard himself, and as the boomerang made and arc in the air and headed back towards Rinoa, it hit the soldier at the side of his leg. The cracking noise that was soon after heard told them that it was broken, and Squall took the moment to finish the person off.
Rinoa had to take a step backwards because of the force of the boomerang reattaching to her weapon, and she slowly lowered her hand by her side, looking at the two now unconscious, and probably soon dead, men. Squall bent down, retrieving some sort of card from one of the bodies, and made his way into the pub. Zell looked at her, wondering what she was staring at, and soon followed suit. Rinoa stood there, motionless, for a while. Letting out a labored sigh, Rinoa entered the dark pub after them.
The air was heavy polluted with the strong smell of cigarette smoke and the bitter odor of alcohol. Waving a hand in front of her in a feeble attempt to breathe in semi-purified air, Rinoa walked towards Squall and Zell, who stood awaiting her. She could easily overhear to people's conversation.
"I've had enough of this city! I came from Dollet to have me a good time. And now... Trains are no longer running... Can't even stay in a hotel because of some stupid official...! Harassed by Galbadian soldiers... Had my precious card stolen... This hasn't been my day..." It came from a deadbeat who sat slumped against a door at the back of the establishment, his voice effortlessly identified with a drunken slur.
The group tediously made their way towards the rear end of the pub as the bartender commented on what the man said. "Those jerks... They think they can use brute force to get anything they want. Hell... This town's a good example..."
"Yeah... Everything's jacked up because the resistance tried to kidnap the president." Rinoa froze momentarily, then continued her way up the stairs and stood in front of the drifter.
"Thanks to them, the trains have stopped... There's Galbadian soldiers all over the place...All because of them!!! Don't they understand I'm the one suffering from their reckless actions!? Stupid, boneheaded, good-for-nothing resistance! You can just kiss my..."
"Hey!" Rinoa yelled angrily, making a fist by her side, it shaking in rage as well. What the hell did that man know, anyway? No one asked you to leave your precious Dollet to come here, now did we?
"You don't understand anything! The resistance is fighting for Timber's future! They're all going the best they can. It's the Galbadian soldiers and their leader who are at fault!" The bartender spat sharply, just as furious as Rinoa was. Nodding in total agreement, Rinoa relaxed her fist. She looked at the bartender briefly, but didn't recognize him from any of the resistance factions, and this elated her somewhat. A regular resident of Timber, sticking up for them and their mistake. We didn't let them down after all.
"Pshhh…" Was all the drifter could retort, and this made Rinoa happier. Yeah, he sure showed you, didn't he? Rinoa thought happily. Glancing back at the drifter, Rinoa noticed he was blocking their path to the alley.
"What should we do?" Rinoa whispered to Squall, but he didn't reply to her, and spoke instead to the drifter.
"We need to get through."
"Geez, and now I'm getting dissed by some punk...!? Owner, gimme another drink!"
Rinoa let out a disgusted laugh and threw her arms in the air in frustration. Squall, though, remembered that the man mentioned that he had lost a card, and searched his pockets for the one he had found on the person outside.
"…Is this your card?" He asked lazily, handing it over to him.
The man took the guard rudely and his eyes widened as he looked at it closely. "Huh? …It is! Why do you have it!?"
"…Found it outside."
Rinoa watched the two converse, and hoped that the drifter believed them.
"Are you serious?" The drifter said, eyeing them both for any hint of a lie. "…Okay. Thanks. Know what? I'm feelin' generous! So you can keep that card. And also…this one!" He handed Squall two cards, and Rinoa watched with mild awe. That was quite a change.
"I'll move out of the way now." The drifter tried to stand up, but to no avail. "Hey, owner. I can't stand up. Can ya help me?"
The owner/bartender moved out from behind the bar and helped the man stand up, bringing him over to a barstool, the doorway now free. Rinoa looked at Squall and Zell happily, and they walked out to the alley. As they walked through the passageway towards a gated area where stairs could be seen, the three doubtlessly noticed the outside monitor.
"Whoa, an outdoor TV!" Zell exclaimed, and he ran ahead to get a closer look.
Rinoa slowed down her walk, staring at the ominous-looking device. "This is creepy…" Rinoa said in a meek voice, then looked over at Squall. "What is it?"
"This noise is broadcast over most of the frequencies. Something has to be done about this before they can broadcast it over the air."
"Oh, really? Actually, I was wondering myself," Zell said, turning around to face them. Rinoa smiled slightly, wondering if he was being sarcastic. Just then, they heard something was heard rummaging through some garbage and empty boxes, and the SeeD's suddenly went into a fighting stance. Rinoa looked between the two, thinking they were 'on' way too much. A figure crashed through and landed in front of them. That scared the lights out of her, and Rinoa hid behind Squall, slowly peeking from behind his strong physique to see that it was only Watts.
"The president's in the studios now, sir. Too many guards now, so we won't be able to storm the place, sir!" Watts said to them, and disappeared just as fast as he appeared. Rinoa blinked blankly, staring at the place where she was sure Watts was just standing. Feeling Squall turn his head to stare at her, Rinoa laughed embarrassingly and walked out in front of him, Watts' words sinking in.
"So we can't just rush in…We've gotta come up with a new plan now!" Rinoa put a hand to her chin thoughtfully, and began to pace back and forth, talking while she thought. "If the president leaves, maybe the guards will be gone, too? That's when we do OUR broadcast. It might not be as influential but it's better than nothing, right? We don't stand a chance if we take 'em head on, right?" Rinoa looked at Squall and Zell expectantly, wondering if they were up for another battle if need be.
"Don't worry about us. We'll fight your enemies based on your decision. That's our duty," Squall said.
Rinoa slowly lowered her hand, looking right at him. Wha…What? She moved her gaze to Zell, hoping he would talk some sense into him, but seemed to agree with Squall as well.
"You tell us to go, we go. Even if it is a losing battle."
Rinoa's eyes widened in shock, feeling as if she had to clean out her ears for she would not believe for a second what she just heard. So…if I told you to jump off a bridge to your deaths, you would do so? You would go into a battle knowing full well that you would lose, and not use common sense to think for a second and retreat? "How sad…" Rinoa said dispiritedly. "Act on my decision? That's our duty?" She asked them bitterly, looking to the ground and searching it for some sort of comfort. Can you not think for yourselves!? "Oh, what an easy life it must be, just to follow orders…" Rinoa said mockingly, her voice still sharp with bitter.
"Call it what you want. All we want is for you to achieve your goal using our help." Squall said, and Rinoa felt he was annoyed by her words.
Oh, yes, all 'you' want is to help me achieve my purpose. You only want it because that is what you're paid to want. That is what I'm ordering you to want… Rinoa thought, and narrowed her eyes, sick at the thought."I find it hard to believe that you can do it, though..." Squall continued, though he trailed off, thinking he shouldn't have started in the first place.
This caught Rinoa's attention, and moved her from feeling sorry to becoming slightly irritated. "W-what did you say!?" She yelled, walking right up to him and stood right in his face. This has got to be good. Maybe they do have a rational bone in their body. "If you have something to say, just say it!"
"Forget it."
Oh, no, you are not getting off the hook that easily. "You started it. The least you can do is finish it." I really want to know what you think for once. Show me that you're not some walking zombie without a thought in the world. "Come on, what's on your mind?" Rinoa pushed, her tone more gentle now.
"…Just forget it."
Squall had turned away from her now, walking towards the gate. Rinoa let out a sigh and rotated around herself, looking at his back. "…Tell me." She said, it almost a whisper. She then crossed her arms, anger bubbling up again. Okay, then. I'll use your own words against you. See how you like it. "This is an order. An order from your client!" Rinoa demanded. She was going to get an answer out of him no matter what.
Squall seemed to freeze for a second, being caught in his own words, and slowly turned to look at her. "How serious are you...? Really...? The 3 of you plop down on the floor to discuss strategy?" Getting caught up in his momentum, Squall carried on. "On top of that, you can't make a decision without our input, right? How do you think we feel, working for such an organization?"
Looking at Rinoa now, she had a heartbroken look written over her entire body. She felt like she was going to cry. It made what he said earlier hurt even more. So this…is how you feel, huh? And still you're willing to take orders from me? …This isn't a game! We may not be as educated as you, but we've got something that you'll never learn within your school walls…Something to really fight for, with all of our hearts and soul. You can't get that taught to you, spoon-feed. You have to experience it on your own. And maybe…until you figure that out…then…
"…Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away," Squall said, probably noticing the look on her face.
Rinoa shook her head solemnly. "You know…Maybe this was all a big mistake. I thought everything would work out fine once SeeD came to help us. But, I guess it's not that easy. You were all hired. It's not like you're one of us." Rinoa's voice faltered, and she had to take a deep breath to keep from bawling her eyes out. "Um…let's see…" She scratched the side of her head with a shaking hand.
"We'll cancel the plan, and we'll disperse for now. We don't stand a chance if we take 'em head on, right?" She turned to leave, but then looked back at them. "So...you guys probably think this is all a game to us. ...Well, it's not! We're serious. So serious...it hurts." Rinoa let out a whimper, and ran off in the direction Watts went to, passing by Selphie walking the opposite way to where she had just felt.
Rinoa ran as far away as she could, then stopped, collapsing onto her knees. No one ever thought they could ever amount to anything…that she could amount to anything. Leaning against the brick wall of the Timber Maniacs, Rinoa brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly towards her, burying her face in her lap. It hurt everywhere, with everything she did. It hurt when she breathed, it hurt when her heart beat. And so, Rinoa let it out, weeping, feeling like it would never stop. Everyone thought she was always smiling, cheerful, upbeat, never down. They never saw her when she was like this, not really. And most of the time she wasn't like this, not really. But, when she was…
She wouldn't let them see her cry.